July 1, 2009
Greetings,
On Saturday, June 20th , a group of men from the Sacred Path Wisdom Council and others that have attended our retreats drove down to Helen Keller Park in South Central Los Angeles to participate in an awards ceremony to present certificates of achievement to the boys that had attended the April Call to Adventure retreat. We had a small group of boys, only 8 out of the nearly 25 that attended the retreat, but the experience was quite gratifying because of the enthusiasm of those who were present.
We had some distinguished guests that included Dawn Osborne, a wonderful woman that has come on board to assist us with the expansion of our programs and funding through public and private grants. She has completely gotten our vision and mission of the Men’s Center and is most committed to helping. We are bringing Dawn on under a modest retainer fee while she works to move us in the direction of funding for our projects. It would be quite helpful, since our coffers are dwindling, to have additional financial support through donations from our community in order to cover the monthly retainer for Dawn. Please consider supporting this endeavor. Any contributions large or small are welcome and greatly appreciated.
This event took place over Father’s Day weekend. The night before I was enthralled with the coverage of Barrack Obama taking on the issue of fathering from the White House. The articles and You Tube videos of the pre-Father’s Day events at the White House inspired me to want to capture the essence of our event. I called Dan Franklin, who called Rob Bruce, and through their efforts and generosity rented a movie camera and microphone so that they could memorialize the day with pictures and video footage that could be edited into our documentary in progress.
At one point when we were speaking to the boys I realized that Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas had arrived at the park with his entourage. I was introduced to Russ Guiney, the LA County Director of Parks and Recreation, who was kind enough to introduce Supervisor Ridley-Thomas, who came forward and spoke to the boys and then spontaneously accepted my invitation to hand the certificates to each young man. This was an outstanding experience for these youngsters. They just glowed from the recognition that they received that day. You’ll find some pictures posted on our blog from the event.
On June 6th I facilitated a Mindfulness Practicum for women at Holy Spirit Retreat Center. There were 14 women present and Rich Manners assisted me. It was a gentle and intimate day with the women sharing their innermost truths with each other and surrendering into the Mindfulness practices including meditations and conscious connected breathing sessions. The mother of one of the women that attended had passed away just two days before, and the depth of her emotion deepened the level of the work. I was particularly struck by the shared recognition of the mothers present on how they tend to worry incessantly about their children. It was comforting for them to realize that they weren’t alone. I discussed the distinction between worry and concern and took up the issue within the framework of the Mindfulness theme of the day.
On Saturday, July 18th , I will host the final one-day event for men this year at Holy Spirit Retreat Center. It will be a Mindfulness Practicum and will focus on all of the Mindfulness practices, featuring meditations, intensive breathing sessions and ample opportunity for participants to speak about their challenges and discuss how Mindfulness can provide tools that can help one deal more effectively with the stress and duress that we’re experiencing these days. This will be a powerful day. A number of wonderful men have expressed an interest in attending. I will facilitate the activities and the composition of the men will fulfill the outcome of the day. I have a sense that some very powerful things are going to take place and I wish to invite you to participate. You’ll find the information and registration form on our blog. The current information about each of the Mindfulness practices is also available on our blog. and I will be adding another element to the curriculum that will be provided to each individual that registers.
On Saturday, September 26th , due to numerous requests, I am hosting a one-day workshop for couples at Holy Spirit Retreat Center. This day will provide a safe environment for couples to share and learn from each other in a context designed to provide useful tools and within an atmosphere that supports understanding, mutual compassion and healing.
On Sunday, October 4th I am honored to be a featured presenter at the Group Psychotherapy Association of Southern California annual conference. The theme is Mindfulness and Psychotherapy. It will take place in Santa Monica and is open to the public. Our next Sacred Path Men’s Retreat will convene north of Malibu on Thursday, October 22 through Sunday, October 25. Further information and registration forms for these three events will be included in our August Newsletter. For now, mark the dates and take note that there will be one more day for women at Holy Spirit on Saturday, November 7th. With the possible addition of a one-day event for men in South Central Los Angeles at some point during the month of September, this will conclude our schedule of events for 2009.
“The soul can view troubled times and the current economic downturn as opportunities for inner growth. As the outer world slows down, the soul can do its inner work of making meaningful connections and building community more emphatically. In hard times, ‘soul work’ and the workings of the soul become more essential, for it is soul that knows where the hidden connections and forgotten meanings of life can be found again.
Knowledge can be gained in the brightness of daylight and in the flush of a growth period, but genuine wisdom grows where darkness and difficulty are fully encountered. Increasing wisdom involves finding the hidden resources of the soul – the older, wiser part of us that can more deeply connect us to the world. The soul would lead us to renewal, but only after some descent to the core of life that secretly nourishes the roots of both culture and nature.
Soul would take us deeper in order to make us wiser. In this darker revelation of life things seem both impossible and more possible at the same time. Amidst feelings of loss and desperation, surprising ideas and new designs appear. When all seems lost the things that are most essentially ours can be found again, deep changes occur and things can turn around. When guided by the soul’s deep caring, both nature and culture are served and the connections between the daily world and the realm of imagination and beauty can be woven anew.”
Michael Meade, Mythologist and Founder of Mosaic Multicultural Foundation
Hope you have a safe and fun 4th,
Stephen Johnson
To download the flyer/application for the July 18th Mens's Mindfulness Practicum, click HERE
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
